wre ae | Youth voice | New group to encourage ideas, participation and — "THE. NORTHWEST is _ services in the region under pressure, says~ ; a a Northern Health Authority official. » «for Terrace because Dr. Ernie Behm, who | a selfless acts of goodwill. \COMMUNITY B1 ~ 7M ravi e | Nisga’a receive money to and gas possibilities \NEWS Ait. Exploration fund - ; research local offshore oil | Pain to gain ‘Adventure. Challenge . competitor can’t resist | 7 eight-hour bike race \SPORTS | BO a $1.00 PLUS 7¢ GST ($1.10 plus8¢GST " outside of the Terrace area) short radiologists, placing medical diagnostic * Dr. Mark. Hudson ‘left. Prince Rupert’ just ‘recently ‘as ‘attempts. .were: already being made to find a second radiologist — said. .. practises: here, is swamped a as it is, says . Rowena Holoien. “All this has really put u us in. a. critical Situation?” she said.” . Rectuiting is made ever’ more difficult -because radiologists are in demand ev- erywhere, Holoien added. For now, physicians in the region are © dealing by sending i images to other places - for analysis with new N imaging . and com-_ Needed. "tal. PROVINCIAL: SOLICITOR - ‘General ‘John ‘Les: wants ° ° "government . officials ‘to think outside ‘of: the box’ when: = . Kesponding ‘to ‘last week’s: Highway of “Tears report: . recomimending a wide range of actions to stop young women fo} from hitchhiking along Hwy 16. “I'd think we'd want all agencies and departments to look sideways for a change, to see what others are up to,” said Les _of.the.report, which lists everything from.increased police “patrols to a network of safehouses to free bus service to com-- munity-based programs. ; “Prevention here is fundamental to stop ‘risky behaviour. such as hitchhiking and what, gives rise to that risky behav- iour,” he said. - Hitchhiking along Hwy16 is the thread linking the ma- jority of the nine young missing or murdered women, ‘all. but one of whom is native, that are the focus of the report prepared by native groups. . Along with prevention, Les said personal responsibility must also come into play to stop hitchhiking. “I'd be the first to advocate that but sometimes people come from situations and circumstances where you have to first get people to the point of personal responsibility,” said ~ Les, adding the comment may sound “‘a little preachy.” -One of those situations is poverty in that it places people © in vulnerable positions ‘such as needing to hitchhike, said _ the report. ‘That’ S the basis of a key report. recommendation e. Newt ice sheet plan buoys city CITY OFFICIALS have come up with a new ‘reason’ for. treating its plan’ to build a second sheet of ice as the first part . of a larger vision to construct a community centre. _Each portion of construction means the city can apply for - separate provincial and federal grants, says city councillor Brian Downie. “The phase two is a ‘whole new project and that means we can expect that-we would have access to infrastructure ; ~ and other funding for a community centre project,” says city councillor Brian Downie of the plan to start with the second ” sheet of ice on the north side of the existing arena. The idea of breaking down the construction of a centre into various individual projects is the latest move undertaken by the city to revive at least its plan to add a second sheet of ice here. Progress had stalled because bids based on architectural plans approved by the city came in at nearly $9 million, far more than what the city had anticipated. . But the city then parted ways with i its architectural firm, - DIVERSIFIED TRANSPORTATION | manager Dennis Ol- son explains how the wheelchair lift works on a medi- cal travel bus to local Northern Health Authority em- ployee Shery! Bulleid. SARAH ARTIS PHOTO two .« ‘puterized sioiige technology, but it’s not ‘considered a permanent solution. “The support plan that’ 's° been put in . place is working. It’s like covering aholi- ‘day: schedule, but there.really is nothing... ‘like. having ¢ a radiologist on site, " Holoien That’s particularly true - for urgent cases: “where a ‘hands- on radiologist ‘is _AS well: Dr. Behm does not do nuclear “medicine, which is a feature of imaging - services at Mills, said Holoien. © ° The search for radiologists comes just -as.the Northern Health Authority. has or- dered a top-of-the-line $1.65 million CT scan machine for Mills Memorial Hospi-. i ears report prompts. call for new way of thinking — ; young ‘Women. . idea of all sorts of governments and groups. working together = ‘might be something here where we could lower the cost a - "munity centre — where it should be located, what kind of — - programs would be offered and how do you fundraise. for a° _ community centre?” - “like this” sid Northein Health ‘Authority’ i By SARAH ARTIS of communications ‘Mark acmeeven : - NORTHERN HEALTH Authority émployees _ In the area’ got an advance look jast week at a _ tients who need to travel to medical appointments -in the region or outside to places such. as Kam- loops : and Vancouver. of the long-distance, 48-passenger buses. The _ listed as “urgent.” Association. five psychiatrists. = establishing free shuttle bus : service along the highway for : ° _Les said that’ s worth investigating and he's 5 ‘taken with the . ‘to come up with a viable system. "ERRACE - And the shortage follows a new medi- ._ - cal manpower. plan. which also lists re-. cruiting ofa. second internal medicine specialist for Terrace as a “high. priority”. fel ‘while the: need for three psychiatrists, iS. _. Local general. practitioners. are doing ; ‘good \ work initially with visiting psychia- ‘trists treating patients afterward, but per- " manent ones would be good to have here, © ¢ _ says Dr. Geoff ‘Appleton, a Terrace doctor... and’ president-elect o| of the B. C. Medical oa At the moment, one: psychiatrist i is in. ‘Terrace and none-is, in Prince Rupert or: Kitimat. At one time,’ the northwest had. -Numbers* reached their current level around 2002 after 2 a complete renovation. and gutting: of ‘the’ regional. ‘psychiatric, , ward at Mills Memorial was’ ‘completed. “In: addition 0 ‘radiologists, : :internal’’ ali ind pavers “There : are orthopedic st surgeons i in, Kiti- 7 mat. and in Prince Rupert, ‘but none: in Da “Teirace. vs: “The encouraging ‘thing | is’ that. it’ is © “now: on the list. But when ‘you: talk: about co » Surgeons you also need to talk about f more ns Fas commendations, nets that n more’ yh general practitioners, for ene would.” preety number. of vacancies... : ‘anes 2010, the. cians ai i Ah He’s interested in the soon-to-start medical transportation system of the Northern Health Authority which features both ' long and short haul bus ryns so people f from outlying areas can get to medical services in larger centres. : . “We'll definitely look at what others are doing. ‘There the health authority and provide for needs that are outside of. health needs,” he said. % “> As it is, the Northern Health Authority i is already a part-. J ner with municipal and native governments in the Terrace-';" Kitimat area that will see a B.C. Transit-bus used for both. medical and general travel between Terrace and Kitimat and - east and west of Terrace. ° ; Les hasn’t set a timeline for a government response to the report, saying he wants it to be comprehensive and exact. . -’ And he said costs of some of the recommendations and. -§ who might take on various actions must also be considered. _ The 38-page report grew out of a March Highway of Tears symposium held in Prince George. It was financed ~ with $50,000 from the provincial government. ae * For more on the report, please. see Page A2- to whom it paid $500,000 over the years, and struck a deal” with Vancouver-based North American Ice Development :. which specializes in rink work. The company says it can deliver what the city wants at a- far cheaper price. Bob Park, who has long lobbied for a multiplex type fa- - -cility with gymnasiums and a youth centre says he likes the idea of constructing a centre one Portion at a time if i it means. more government grants. But he still wants to know what the next steps are. “For the very first time, we’ 've ‘been told if we phase this program we get more money,” Park said last week. “I just. want to know what phase two is.” | a So far, plans for further phases remain vague. “The next phase, I think, will be discussions about a com- Cont'd Page A2. LA VISITING: Kermode nimbiy ‘negotiates Stairs i in the back garden’ of Dale and: ; Dorothy fl Misch’ $s ‘house ‘on Kalum Lake Dr. June 20." rt Stairmaster DUSTIN QUEZADA PHOTO : long-haul highway bus specifically outfitted with features to make it easier for people to get to health services elsewhere. The bus is part of Northern Connections, a new reservation-based program for northern B.C: pa- The result i The service, to begin mid-July, will include four. short-distance, 20-passenger buses and five long-haul bus which toured here last week con- tains custom-built amenities such as wheelchair to Vancouver _lifts and wheelchair-accessible bathrooms. Greyhound bus fare is $440. ere ; ao Buses will stop in various communities be-. _ But the goal is not to undermine other cc yn with: Northern Health to: un the: buses. for’ three - tween Prince Rupert, Fort Nelson, Grande Prairie nies, said Karjaluoto: ... ears with the possibility ofa two-year. exiciision. : (in Alberta) and Vancouver. “This is the. first time we’ve ever run some- thing like this, anyone in B.C. has run something © health authority began: considering deh to ee : people could get to medical services in a tirnely, a efficient and cost-effective fashion... ‘> 5... referred to services such. as diagnostic ate Specialist visits, ‘and. other non-emergency: ‘health care not available i in their community. : i a The B.C. government is subsidizing: about 85 a per.cent of the fares, Karjaluoto said _ The subsidy: makes No most’ five times cheaper than other t viders. For: example, aroun “We needed’ something specific that cate: wards people travelling with medical needs.” People using the service must be waved for is a low-cost option’ to ‘individuals around the ; north have been a impressed. eh “This is wonderful,” Said Therese Sa vie who . works i in day surgery at Mills Hospital, ene The. need for this’ type of: service : ‘has: ‘been , ound 1 for a long-time, she said, adding‘ she may’, even: use thé service herself as her son sometimes ip: / requires: out-of-town. health: care for his: ‘develop- will cost $80, while the: ‘equivalent. mental problems. aan ~ Diversified ‘Transportation Ltd. has'a contract d fo" The authority i is also working on. low-cost accom-. . ~“modation options for those who need medical al care outside of their communities. ‘os at . oF on . . : . — ‘